ROME (Sputnik) — The 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which hit central Italy around 03:36 local time (01:36 GMT) Wednesday, resulted in serious damage and civilian casualties across the region.
"There are dozens of victims, many people are under the rubble," the mayor told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Pirozzi described the situation in the town as dramatic, saying that "half of the town no longer exists."
According to the Italian authorities, at least 24 people died in central Italy as a result of the earthquake.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the town of Accumoli in the metropolitan region of Lazio.